It’s clear that the BlackBerry PlayBook is a tough sell (unless you don’t have to pay for them), but that hasn’t stopped RIM and their retail partners from going nuts with PlayBook promotions. To wit: Best Buy, Staples, and Office Depot have dropped the prices of RIM’s tablet yet again, starting at $199 for the 16GB model.
RIM’s most recent financial statements still paint a grim picture for the tablet, with PlayBook sales dropping for yet another quarter. Still, RIM’s top brass still took a remarkably optimistic stance on the PlayBook’s future, essentially saying that the best was yet to come. I’ll believe it I see it — especially considering the company had to write off $485 million in sales discounts in order to get those PlayBooks moving.
By now, you’re probably aware of all the PlayBook’s shortcomings, but the closer we get to the holidays, the more enticing these things could look. If anything, I imagine that it could get some play as a last-minute present for people who forgot to order a Kindle Fire in time. I can see it now:
“Hey honey, I know you had your heart set on the Kindle Fire, but I bought you a PlayBook instead! It’s actually better than the Fire because it has a camera and more RAM! What’s that? Apps? Well, it doesn’t have a ton… oh, you can’t send email without a BlackBerry either. Wait, where are you going?”
On second thought, don’t try it — I don’t want to be held responsible for anything that happens.